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CSCAP EU

CSCAP EU, under the leadership of the EU Institute for Security Studies (EUISS), was admitted as a new member committee of Council for Security Cooperation in the Asia-Pacific (CSCAP), by unanimous decision at the 40th Steering committee meeting in Beijing, on 2 December 2013. Its role is to actively contribute to CSCAP activities by providing the best European expertise on key regional security issues.

The CSCAP EU committee is composed of more than 60 experts from leading European universities, government-affiliated and non-governmental research institutions, as well as relevant officials from the European External Action Service (EEAS) acting in their private capacities. Coming from various professional and geographical backgrounds, the committee serves as a collaborative platform for European scholars and policy practitioners focusing on security issues in the Asia-Pacific.

About CSCAP

Established in 1992-1993, the Council for Security Cooperation in the Asia Pacific has been widely regarded as the premier multilateral non-governmental ('Track Two') organisation promoting security dialogue and confidence building in the region.

Provide an informal mechanism by which political and security issues can be discussed by scholars, officials, and others in their private capacities;

Encourage the participation of such individuals from countries and territories in the Asia Pacific on the basis of the principle of inclusiveness;

Organise various study groups to address security issues and challenges facing the region;to provide policy recommendations to various intergovernmental bodies on political-security issues;

Convene regional and international meetings and other cooperative activities for the purpose of discussing political-security issues;

Establish linkages with institutions and organisations in other parts of the world to exchange information, insights and experiences in the area of regional political-security cooperation; and

Produce and disseminate publications relevant to the other purposes of the organisation.The primary mechanisms of CSCAP are its experts’ Study Groups, initiated by the member committees to address concrete regional security issues.

Memoranda produced by the various Study Groups aim to provide policy recommendations for existing inter-governmental regional mechanisms, notably the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), but also potentially the ASEAN Defence Ministerial Meeting Plus (ADMM+) and the East Asia Summit.

The US ‘pivot’ towards Asia has generated debate in Europe about whether the EU should upgrade its presence in the region. Yet, as this alert shows, the EU and its member states already began their own, largely undetected, rebalancing towards Asia roughly a decade ago. Does the EU now have the possibility of becoming – even inadvertently – an Asian (minor) power?

China is poised to become the EU’s most important commercial partner, while simultaneously being a serious challenger in trade and a competitor for resources. It is against the backdrop of this dichotomy that this report offers a number of suggestions to assist EU policymakers in developing a more coherent approach towards China.

The transatlantic partners share similar objectives with regard to the Asia Pacific. Nevertheless, history, geography as well as differences in perceptions contribute to forging two distinct stances vis-à-vis the region. This report identifies areas where those two positions intersect.

With the seven new members of the Politburo Standing Committee (PBSC) now in place, China will need to address an array of challenges including controversial aspects of political reform. The way this ‘China 7.0’ handles these issues will undoubtedly have profound implications for the whole world.

Pakistan is today facing many new challenges, not the least of which are the unsettling effects of the third democratic transition at a time of rapid societal changes. This report, with contributions from regional experts, looks at various aspects of these challenges.

In collaboration with the Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA), the EUISS has produced a paper which features detailed proposals for advancing India-EU relations within the bilateral and multilateral dimensions of the Strategic Partnership.

This Occasional Paper examines one of the ‘forgotten conflicts’, between the ‘Moros’ and the Philippine State, highlighting the EU's gradual move from the humanitarian and development arena towards a more explicitly political role in the peace process, in close cooperation with its Member States and with European NGOs.

Considering its linkages with various areas such as energy security, economic growth and diplomacy, climate change is a major ‘game-changer’ in international relations. The development of the climate change regime presents the EU with both an opportunity and a threat, in as much as it may either accelerate Europe’s decline as a foreign policy actor or, on the contrary, reinvigorate its diplomatic ambitions.

For the moment, the US presence in the Asia Pacific region provi­des regional and extra-regional actors, including the EU, with security and stability that enable free naviga­tion, trade flows, peaceful development, and avoidance of violent conflicts or confrontations. But how can the EU assume a more active and strategic role in the region?

The transatlantic partners share similar objectives with regard to the Asia Pacific. Nevertheless, history, geography as well as differences in perceptions contribute to forging two distinct stances vis-à-vis the region. This report identifies areas where those two positions intersect.

With the seven new members of the Politburo Standing Committee (PBSC) now in place, China will need to address an array of challenges including controversial aspects of political reform. The way this ‘China 7.0’ handles these issues will undoubtedly have profound implications for the whole world.

Pakistan is today facing many new challenges, not the least of which are the unsettling effects of the third democratic transition at a time of rapid societal changes. This report, with contributions from regional experts, looks at various aspects of these challenges.

In collaboration with the Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA), the EUISS has produced a paper which features detailed proposals for advancing India-EU relations within the bilateral and multilateral dimensions of the Strategic Partnership.

This Occasional Paper examines one of the ‘forgotten conflicts’, between the ‘Moros’ and the Philippine State, highlighting the EU's gradual move from the humanitarian and development arena towards a more explicitly political role in the peace process, in close cooperation with its Member States and with European NGOs.

Considering its linkages with various areas such as energy security, economic growth and diplomacy, climate change is a major ‘game-changer’ in international relations. The development of the climate change regime presents the EU with both an opportunity and a threat, in as much as it may either accelerate Europe’s decline as a foreign policy actor or, on the contrary, reinvigorate its diplomatic ambitions.

For the moment, the US presence in the Asia Pacific region provi­des regional and extra-regional actors, including the EU, with security and stability that enable free naviga­tion, trade flows, peaceful development, and avoidance of violent conflicts or confrontations. But how can the EU assume a more active and strategic role in the region?

Recent security developments in East Asia have raised questions about peace and stability in a part of the world accounting for over a quarter of EU global trade. This Policy Brief assesses the changing power relations in East Asia and highlights potential implications of the region's security flashpoints for the EU.